Learning To Hunt
by PinkTribeChick
Summary: Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . .
1. Section 1

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 1**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **This story came from a dream I had one night where I was stuck in a love triangle, having to choose between Pride and Bray. I replaced Bray with Jack for the story, and voila – _Learning To Hunt_ was born. I honestly don't know if this story will ever be finished, but I want to share it on here anyway. Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! The rating may change to Mature down the line, but for now it's Teen. Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

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**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 1**_

_"You were a child reaching out brave and true . . . For big things in the next room . . . And I couldn't step into such open sky . . . Where on the crest of uncertainty you loom . . . I'm learning to hunt for you . . ."_

_Guided By Voices

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_

"Liliana," a sing-song female voice called out, waking Liliana from her sleep. "Liliana . . ." Liliana looked out into the dark void.

"Mama?" Liliana responded, her voice cutting through the smoky air. She looked around. There was no one to be seen. "Mama?"

"Liliana . . . ," the voice called out again.

"Mama, where are you?" Liliana was growing frightened.

"I'm right here." The voice was coming from right behind her, and Liliana could feel her mother's comforting hand on her shoulder. She let out a slow breath that she had been holding. Smiling, she turned around. Then she let out a horrified shriek.

In front of her stood a rail-thin body that resembled like her mother, except their skin was decayed and falling off in large flakes at the slightest movement. Their eyes were seemingly glowing in the darkness, as it reached out a hand to Liliana. She screamed again, backing away as quickly as she could. She started to run, looking back at the slowly approaching figure.

Suddenly, she tripped over something and went falling . . . falling down and down with no end, kicking and screaming, when she finally hit something hard and everything went black . . .

Liliana suddenly felt the bed underneath her as she woke up. Her hair was plastered to her face and neck with sweat, and she was panting. She blinked a few times, gathering her bearings. It had just been a dream, all a dream.

She sat up slightly, propping herself up with her elbows. She squinted at the clock across the room. It was four in the morning. Sighing loudly, she lay back again and rolled over onto her left side.

Samuel lay in his crib, next to her bed. Liliana slid out of bed and padded in sock-clad feet over to the sleeping infant. She peeked into the crib. Samuel was still peacefully asleep. He had kicked the blanket off a bit, and she pulled it up over him a little bit. She smoothed his soft, dark brown hair back. The little boy, only a year and a half old, was her only remaining tie to the old world, the only real blood family she had left. He was what kept her grounded in their disorderly new world. Smiling to herself, she grabbed her glasses, walking out of the room and down the hallway to the kitchen.

Liliana and Samuel had been with the Gaians for almost a year, since Liliana had finally gotten up the courage to leave her house when they ran out of food. Things were always buzzing and somewhat cramped with all fifty members of the Gaian tribe living in one average sized cabin and a few odd huts. There was always something to be done, and Liliana liked it that way. She was grateful for the distractions that kept her mind off the memories. Things were even more cramped now that some of the Mall Rats were staying at the cabin. They had shown up a few days before, with Pride and a very ill Eagle in tow. She was happy to have her leaders back. The tribe had been floundering a bit without them.

As Liliana walked into the kitchen, she saw a boy sitting at one of the tables, shrouded in moonlight. One of the Mall Rats . . . the one with the bright orange hair and the charming smile. Liliana struggled to remember his name as she stood in the doorway.

"Hi," he said softly, looking up at about that time and seeing her there. He had a deep, almost raspy voice, and she could just barely see his brown eyes glistening in the moonlight.

"Hi," she breathed quietly. She walked over to him and sat down across from him at the table. "Jack, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Liliana," he responded. "I think Pride introduced us this morning." He examined her carefully. She was tiny, not more than 5'5", with shoulder-length brown hair. There were a few pearly-pink highlights in her hair, which was pulled back into a French-braid. She wore glasses, which she hadn't been wearing earlier that day, so she must've had contacts or something. Her bluish-gray eyes were sad and showed a soul much older than her physical appearance.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked timidly.

"Nah . . . haven't slept in days, actually. Can't seem to get my mind to shut off," he replied. Running a hand through his messy hair, he sighed loudly. "So much has happened in the past few days. I'm still trying to process it all."

"I'm still trying to process everything that's happened in the past year and a half. It still seems so surreal to me. I can't quite grasp it," she said, smiling. Jack laughed a little bit.

"You're not the only one," he offered with a grin. Then his expression turned serious as he thought. "How did things change so quickly? I keep feeling like I missed something . . . I like slept through class or something . . ." He paused, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. Liliana knew what he was trying to say though.

"And you wonder, 'why didn't anyone ask me first'?" Liliana finished his thought out loud. Jack snapped out of his trance and opened his eyes.

"Yeah . . . exactly," he said in amazement, looking her in the eyes. The intensity that showed in his eyes sent shivers up her spine, which she tried hard not to show. Suddenly, the piercing cries of a baby made them both jump, and Liliana stood up.

"That's Samuel. I'd better go tend to him. I'll talk to you later, okay?" she said, already moving toward the door.

"Yeah. I'd like that," Jack responded with a shy smile. "Night, Liliana."

"Night, Jack," she responded quickly, as she scrambled out of the room, toward the screaming baby. Jack sat back in his chair, smiling to himself as he looked out the window at the bright stars.

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**_Please review – I'm eager to hear your thoughts! And thanks for reading!_**


	2. Section 2

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 2**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 2

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**_

Liliana hurried into her bedroom. Samuel was standing up in his crib, wailing loudly. She walked over to him and picked him up.

"Shhh . . . it's okay, Samuel. Lili's here . . . Lili's here," she soothed. She held him close to her. He started sucking on him thumb, a sign that he was hungry. Liliana shifted him to her hip. "Let's go get you something to eat, shall we?" She walked back down the hallway to the kitchen. Samuel gurgled a little bit as they walked through the kitchen door. Jack was still sitting where he had been when Liliana left. He stood up as they entered the room.

"Well . . . hello again," he said softly, smiling.

"Hi," she responded. She smiled serenely at him. "Someone was feeling left out and wanted to meet you. Didn't you, munchkin?" She tickled Samuel's tummy, and he giggled.

"So this is Samuel?" Jack asked. The little boy in Liliana's arms had a headful of brown hair, darker than Liliana's, and the same bluish-gray eyes she possessed.

"Yes. This is my little brother Samuel. Samuel, this is Jack," she answered. "Actually, I think he's hungry. Could you hold him while I fix some food for him?"

"Sure," Jack agreed. He took Samuel from Liliana's arms. She walked over to the cabinet and opened it. Jack sat down again, holding Samuel in his lap. "So . . ."

"So . . . ," Liliana trailed off, walking over to the table. She filled a small bowl with cereal, and took Samuel from Jack, putting him in a wooden high-chair. She started to feed him.

"Do you really feel lost? 'Cause . . . I was starting to think I was the only one who felt that way anymore," Jack inquired, trying to pick up where they had left off earlier. She looked up at Jack with innocent eyes as she spooned some more cereal and fed it to Samuel.

"You don't think everyone in this world feels that way?" she replied.

"I guess they do . . . it's just most people wouldn't say so," he responded.

"Well, I'm not like most people," she said. "And I don't think you are either, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up." Jack watched her carefully as she wiped some excess cereal from Samuel's mouth. She was so gentle about it, so motherly. He admired her for being able to keep going amidst so much discord. "It's just . . . well, I feel like I'm looking for something . . . like there's this piece of me missing, that up until recently I never knew was lost. It makes me feel like I'm just floundering, barely keeping my head above water. I hate that." It bothered her to talk about it, and he could see it in her eyes. His understanding gaze made her nervous, and she looked away.

"Do you ever feel trapped? I mean, trapped by your uncertainty? Like there's this big world out there, and it's yours for the taking, but you don't know what you want?" he asked. "Well . . . you thought you knew what you wanted, but it turned out to be total crap?"

"Yeah, I feel trapped. And I don't know what to believe in anymore. I don't even know what I wanted in the first place," she commented.

"That's exactly how I feel. Except, I knew what I wanted. And I had it. But it fell apart, all of it," he said. "Now I'm scrambling to try to get just a piece of it back. That feeling . . . my innocence about life."

"Sounds like you've lost your heart. Or misplaced it, perhaps?" she observed. She picked Samuel up out of the high-chair and cradled him in her arms, rocking him.

"I thought Ellie was my heart . . . but now I'm not so sure," Jack responded.

"Ellie?"

"My ex-girlfriend . . . I thought it would last forever, but it didn't. She left me for someone else after the Chosen were defeated," he said softly. "I'm such a dumbass. Here I am, moaning about a girl who doesn't give a damn about me now, when there are bigger problems in the world. Like Ebony taking over the city." Liliana reached out and put her right hand on top of his on the table. She smiled at him reassuringly.

"It's okay. Really. I know how you feel," she said. "It's nice having someone to talk to about this stuff for a change. No one around here really seems to understand how I feel."

"Well, what happened to you? And how do you deal with it?" he questioned, with an interested expression on his face.

"In a nutshell . . . shortly before the virus broke out, I fell in love with someone, and got my heart broken when I found out he didn't feel the same way. And then when my parents died . . . Samuel was born a month before the virus hit. With my parents gone, suddenly, I had to tend to an infant, which I had never done before. I was on my own for a while. It was hard, mourning my parents, nursing a broken heart, and caring for an infant and myself all at the same time. I never got any recovery time between any of them," she explained, a wistful look in her eyes.

"After about six months, I decided to take Samuel and leave the house I grew up in. We stumbled upon the Gaians a few days later. They took us in with open arms, especially Pride. But then, I knew Pride long before the virus. He's one of my closest friends. And after awhile, I realized that the only way I was going to make it through life, and to move past the pain, was to take life day by day, as it comes to me. Having to take care of someone beyond just myself helps a little bit. Only time can heal wounds of the heart . . . so I've heard." She smiled at Jack.

"Yeah, I've heard the same. But I'm not so sure I believe in it," he responded. "I don't think wounds of the heart ever heal. I think you just learn to ignore the aching as time passes." He looked at Samuel, who was fast asleep in Liliana's arms. "I think someone is down for the count." Liliana looked down at her sleeping brother and grinned.

"Well, I'm going to go put him to bed, and then try to get some sleep myself. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, standing up slowly.

"Yeah. You'll definitely see me. I'm not going anywhere any time soon," Jack said with a laugh. He looked down at his hands, both of them quiet momentarily.

"Well, thank you for the talk. I hope we'll have lots more of them. I'd like to get to know you better," she said bashfully.

"I'd like to get to know you better, too. And Samuel," he said, smiling. He stepped toward her, and they hugged awkwardly. She kissed him on the cheek.

"You haven't lost your heart, Jack. You've just grown afraid of letting people into it," she whispered. With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Jack standing there slightly amazed.

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**_Please review – I'm eager to hear your thoughts! And thanks for reading!_**


	3. Section 3

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 3**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 3

* * *

**_

Liliana knocked on the door to Eagle's room the next morning. She'd finally gotten Samuel to sleep about six a.m. But she'd been unable to sleep herself, thoughts of Jack and their conversation plaguing her. He seemed so heartsick. She'd seen it in him the first time they had met. And it intrigued her.

"Come in," she heard Pride say. She stepped slowly into the room. Eagle was still asleep, and Pride was sitting in a chair next to her bed, reading a book. He put the book down and stood up when Liliana entered.

"Morning," Liliana said, smiling. She and Pride hugged each other tightly.

"Morning, Lili." Pride greeted her. He sat back down in his chair. "Sleep well?"

"Hardly slept is more like it," she responded. She yawned a little bit. "Samuel hasn't been sleeping well recently, so I haven't been sleeping well." She moved closer to his chair, squatting down.

"But when have you ever slept well?" he commented. She stood behind him, crouched down with her chin rested on his shoulder. "I've known you a long time, Lili. You've always had nightmares."

"I know," she agreed quietly. Pride could hear the sadness in her voice and decided to change the subject.

"How have you been otherwise?" he inquired with a smile, taking one of her tiny hands in his large one.

"Fine. I'm doing fine. Samuel's trying to walk now, so that's lots of fun," she replied.

"That's wonderful. Soon he'll be toddling all over the place," he responded happily.

"Yeah. Actually, I was coming to see how Eagle is doing and to ask if you want anything, like food or whatever," she said.

"Amber's doing a little better. Trudy, Bray, and I are taking turns sitting with her. She needs rest, and the baby needs as much time in the womb as possible for survival. The longer we can keep the baby from coming, the better the chances are for her and the baby." Pride sighed. "As for me . . . I'm fine. You know me. Solid as a rock." Liliana followed his gaze as he stared at the sleeping Eagle. She squeezed his hand.

"She'll be fine, I know it," she told him reassuringly. "You still love her though, don't you?" Pride shifted his gaze, turning to look at Liliana.

"With everything that is in me," he replied. "If only she could see that."

"I think she already does. Otherwise she wouldn't rely on you so much," she said comfortingly. "She knows just like I do that even if she can't count on anyone else, she can count on you. You're a good friend, Pride, and someday she'll see you as much more than that. And if she doesn't, then it's her loss. But don't worry about it so much." Pride smiled again.

"Thanks, Lili. Now I remember what I missed about you so much. Your wonderful, calming advice," he said. "I guess you're right. Even if she did try to push me away, I wouldn't go, though. She means too much to me." His expression was serious, and Liliana could tell something else was bothering him. Then Liliana's stomach growled loudly, and they both laughed.

"Well, I guess I'd better go eat some breakfast. If you need anything at all, let me know, okay? Even if it's just someone to sit with you so you'll have some company," she offered again, patting him on the shoulder.

"Sure. Thanks," he responded. "Hey, I'll come visit you and Samuel later, okay? Then you can fill me in on all that's been happening around here."

"Alright." Liliana nodded and walked to the door. She stopped for a moment and turned back around. "It's good to have you home again. Everyone missed you."

"I missed everyone, too," he responded, looking at her. She waved and walked out of the room, making her way to the kitchen.

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_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! And thanks for reading!**_


	4. Section 4

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 4**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 4

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**_

Jack sat at the kitchen table, eating a small bowl of oatmeal while reading a book on solar power. A few of the others sat around him, eating breakfast as well and talking amongst themselves. He looked up from his book momentarily to see Liliana coming into the room. She smiled shyly when she saw him, then walked over to the cabinet.

Jack was amazed at how different she looked from when he had seen her earlier. Her glasses were gone, and her hair was pulled into twists that fell into loose curls about her shoulders. She certainly didn't dress like the other Gaian girls did. She wore a rose sleeveless, knit dress that came to her ankles and strappy brown sandals. In the old world, she would have been considered normal, which made her stand out from all the other girls in the new world. None of the girls in the new world were average or normal, but Liliana was. The virus seemingly hadn't changed her. Jack found it refreshing.

Liliana fixed herself a bowl of dry cereal and a glass of water. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bin and then walked over to where Jack was sitting. She stood in front of him, smiling.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked. Jack noticed that her eyes sparkled when she smiled, making it a little harder to see the sadness that lurked beneath. He pulled out the chair beside him.

"Sure," he replied. She gingerly sat down beside him and started to eat her cereal. As he observed her for a moment, Jack noticed something else was missing beyond her glasses. "Where's Samuel?" Liliana swallowed her mouthful of food before speaking.

"He's taking his morning nap, so I get a little break, for now at least," she responded. She took a sip of water, and then spoke again. "Did you actually get any sleep last night?" Jack smiled and looked down at his empty bowl timorously.

"No," he said. "You?"

"Not a wink," she answered. She went back to eating her bowl of cereal. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Listen . . . I, um . . . I volunteered to go in Pride's place to get more water today, but I have absolutely no idea how to get to that lake he told me about. Do you know how to get there?" Jack asked finally.

"Yeah, I know how to get there." Liliana nodded. She'd finished her cereal and was taking a large bite out of the apple she had.

"Well . . . would you like to come with me and show me the way there? Samuel can come, too, of course. I wouldn't expect you to leave him here all day. There's really no one else to take care of him, besides Trudy, and she's got her hands full taking care of Brady and Amber," Jack offered. Liliana munched on her apple for a moment, thinking. A smile crept across her face slowly.

"Alright," she said, nodding. "I'll go with you. Just let me get finished eating and get Samuel ready, and we'll go. Oh, and I'll have to tell Pride where I'm going, in case anyone asks for me or anything."

"Cool. Meet me out front in about thirty minutes?" Jack responded. She nodded again. "Great!" He stood up, grabbing his empty bowl and his book. "See you then!"

"Yeah . . . see you," Liliana said as he waved and walked away. She quickly finished off her apple, then threw the core away and washed out her empty bowl. Smiling, she headed off toward her room to get Samuel dressed for the day.

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_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! And thanks for reading!**_


	5. Section 5

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 5**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 5

* * *

**_

Liliana walked into her room to hear Samuel cooing from his crib. Smiling, she walked over to him and picked him up, sitting him down on a blanket spread out nearby. She handed him a toy to play with while she found clean clothes for him to wear. Once she had dressed him in an orange flannel shirt and green overalls with matching flannel leg cuffs, she set to work throwing stuff into her backpack for the day. A couple of bottles of water, a packet of baby formula and jarred apple sauce for Samuel, sunscreen, a hat for herself and one for Samuel, a blanket, some food for she and Jack, and a couple of Samuel's smaller toys and his jacket, just in case there was a chill in the air. Samuel sat on the blanket playing with a stuffed animal that squeaked when it was squeezed. Samuel squealed happily when he saw Pride in the doorway.

"Hey, little buddy!" Pride said to him as he toddled over to the door. Pride picked the little boy up and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "My, you've gotten big since I saw you last!" He tickled Samuel's belly the way Liliana always did, and Samuel giggled. Liliana didn't need to see who it was, she recognized the voice.

"Hi. Taking a break?" Liliana greeted Pride. She walked over to the closet and pulled out the baby harness, then turned to look at him.

"Yeah. Bray's sitting with Amber for a while, since she's awake right now. I just thought I'd come hang out with you and Samuel for a little while," Pride said. He sat down on the blanket with Samuel in his lap and handed the squeaky stuffed animal to Samuel. Then he looked up at Liliana again.

"I wish I could hang out with you, but Samuel and I were just about to leave to go out to the lake with Jack for a little while, since Jack doesn't know how to get there," Liliana said. She smiled at Pride sympathetically as his smile faded. "I'm sorry. Maybe we can hang out later?" She put the harness down and walked over to the bureau nearby.

"Well, I have to sit with Amber again in a couple of hours. I don't think you'll be back before then. I mean . . . the lake's a fifteen minute walk away, and then it takes a little over an hour to fill all the jugs. That wouldn't leave us much time to talk when you get back. And I really want to spend some time with you two. You're the closest thing to family I've got left," Pride said disappointedly. He paused for a moment. Liliana sprayed a little perfume on her wrists and fluffed her curls. Watching her primp in front of the mirror, Pride realized that there was more to her going out for the day with Jack. She normally didn't wear perfume for a day out at the lake getting water. There was something else going on. He felt a tight knot forming in his stomach and around his heart at the thought, and he spoke again. "I didn't know you and Jack were friends." He looked at her anxiously.

"Yeah . . . we talked for a while last night and something just clicked. He's really nice," she responded vaguely. She walked back over to the bed again and picked the baby harness up, ignoring Pride's concern about the situation. She was used to him acting like an overprotective big brother and simply chose to tune it out.

"Yeah, he's nice. But be careful - he's also recovering from a broken heart," he warned with a frown. Liliana buckled the baby harness on herself, then turned to face Pride again. She smiled at him goofily.

"Please don't be overprotective. I can take care of myself, you know," she said kindly.

"I know you can take care of yourself, but it still doesn't mean that I'm not going to do everything in my power to keep you from getting hurt. That's what best friends do, Lili," he responded with a smile. "Besides, you're not exactly the strongest person emotionally in the world right now. I don't want to see you taken advantage of for that. Especially by a guy who's on the rebound from a serious relationship." Liliana crouched down in front of Pride and Samuel and cupped her hands around Pride's chin.

"I will be just fine. I know what I'm doing and I have a very level head on my shoulders. I don't have just myself to think about - I have Samuel, too. I have to do what is best for him as well. Either way, just please trust me, okay?" she said, looking him straight in the eye. He was silent and looked away from her gaze. "Please?"

"Alright, alright. But I'm not going to lie to you. I really don't think it's a good idea to get romantically involved with Jack. You can do better, Lili," Pride said in earnest. His green eyes glittered in the sunlight that was coming from the window. For a moment, Liliana got lost in those eyes, seeing a boy she had fallen in love with a long time ago. But that was ancient history. She pushed the thought away and snapped back into reality.

"I'll be fine," she said curtly in a firm tone, taking Samuel from Pride. With a little help from Pride, she slid Samuel into the harness, where he sat comfortably against her torso. She grabbed her backpack. "I'll be back later, okay? And I promise, we'll talk and hang out then, just the three of us." She kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the room.

Pride walked over to the window and watched her as she met Jack out in front of the cabin. Jack shyly took Liliana's backpack and put it in the wheelbarrow, then they walked away, disappearing down the path to the lake. Something about Liliana possibly becoming involved romantically with Jack irked him. Something beyond his lack of trust in the sincerity of whatever feelings Jack might have for Liliana. And he was irritated that he had taken a break from watching Amber to purposely spend time with Liliana and Samuel, just to be brushed aside for a boy Liliana barely knew. Pride crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, standing there for a bit longer before going back to his room.

* * *

_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! And thanks for reading!**_


	6. Section 6

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 6**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 6

* * *

**_

"Here, Samuel," Liliana said, feeding Samuel his bottle. Jack stood a bit farther down on the lake shore, filling up the water jugs one by one and placing them back in the wheelbarrow. Liliana watched him as he worked, beads of sweat forming on his brow from lifting the heavy jugs full of water into the barrow. In the bright light of the midday sun, he was even better looking than she'd originally thought. His brightly colored orange hair stuck up all over the place with brown roots peeking through. He was several inches taller than she was, and he was well-built with muscular arms. _Who in their right mind would ever leave someone like him?_ Liliana thought. _He's incredible. Bright, funny, very cute. Whoever this Ellie is, she's an idiot._

Liliana's mind drifted as she continued to watch Jack. She felt bad about not having been able to spend time with Pride. He was her best friend, possibly her most loyal friend, and she had blown him off to come to the lake with Jack. But it had been worth it. She was there with Jack. There was nothing wrong with doing what she wanted, and she knew that.

She bit her lower lip gently as she thought. Pride's reaction had been so weird. Liliana had been interested in guys before, and it had never bothered him. Why should it? Pride had Amber. Pride could be a little overprotective at times, but not about that kind of thing, not about Liliana's love-life. Something about Jack must really have bothered Pride, so maybe some of what he had said had validity to it. But Jack didn't seem like he could be mean enough to ever intentionally, or unintentionally, hurt her. Pride was just being paranoid, she decided.

Samuel finished his bottle and fell asleep in Liliana's arms. She laid him down on the blanket they were sitting on, covering him with his jacket. Standing up, she dusted off the back of her dress and walked over to Jack.

"Do you need any help?" she asked. "Samuel's asleep now, so if you need a hand . . ." Jack heaved another full jug into the wheelbarrow, grunting slightly. Then he stood up straight, wiping his brow off, and looked at Liliana.

"Actually, I'm done. That was the last jug," he replied, out of breath. "But thanks."

"Well, would you like something to eat, then?" she offered. He nodded, and she led him over to where the blanket was laid out. Jack grabbed a bottle of water as he sat down, gulping it down thirstily. Liliana handed him a sandwich, then grabbed one for herself as they sat there, a breeze sweeping through the trees that surrounded them.

"So . . . ," Jack began shyly. He picked at the crust of the bread, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Yeah . . . ," she responded, trailing off. She was just as nervous as he was, if not more so.

"I don't normally open up that easily to people I don't know, like I did last night . . . just so you know . . ." His voice dropped in embarrassment, as he scolded himself for making such a stupid remark. He was better at making conversation than that.

"Neither do I," she responded quietly. Jack struggled to think of something to say. He thought back to their conversation from the night before.

"So . . . um . . . do you have any idea of what that missing piece of you might be?" he asked. He took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed it slowly.

"What?" she responded, confused.

"Well, you said last night that you felt like a piece of you was missing. Do you know what that piece might be?" he explained.

"My heart, my dreams . . . I don't know," she said sarcastically, smiling a bit. "I wish I knew. It would make things so much easier. I know what it is, but I can't remember exactly." Jack looked at her in puzzlement, his brown eyes narrowing as he smiled through his confusion. "I mean . . . well . . . have you ever had really good dream, but when you wake up, you can't remember anything about it except that it was a good dream?"

"Yeah. I hate those kinds of dreams. They drive me nuts, because I'll spend the rest of the day trying to remember what happened," he replied in an annoyed voice. Liliana laughed, smiling at him.

"Well, that's kind of how I feel about my missing piece. It's there in my brain somewhere, I know what it is, I just can't remember it. Does that make sense?" she clarified. He nodded.

"I wish I was at that point. I'm just figuring out that something inside me is missing. I feel as though I'm climbing a mountain, just grasping for foot and hand holds along the way, searching for something that I can't see and going along a path with seemingly no end. I'm ready to just feel whole again," he said. He sighed, finishing off his sandwich.

"Which could take days, weeks, months, even years," she responded. "Look at me. It's been over a year, and here I am still stuck at a stalemate."

"Looks like we're stuck at stalemate together," Jack said, grinning at her, his browning eyes lighting up. Liliana felt right then like he could see into her thoughts just by looking in her eyes. It made her feel more vulnerable than usual, and she didn't like that. She blushed and looked away.

"I wish I could talk to Pride about this stuff the way I can talk to you about it. When I try to talk to him, I can never seem to say it in a way that he understands," she said. "He just ends up asking a lot of questions."

"Well, maybe he does understand, and he's just trying to understand better," he suggested.

"Yeah, and pigs fly," she responded with a laugh. "Pride is so sure of his own path, of who he is. There's no way he could even begin to comprehend how I feel. Besides, he's too wrapped up in Amber to ever notice." Her voice wavered as she was on the brink of tears, and Jack knew that Pride and Amber agitated her. He hated seeing her upset, so he quickly tried to cheer her up.

"Ooo . . . someone sounds jealous," Jack teased, raising his eyebrows up and down and grinning cheekily.

"I'm not jealous!" she snapped, looking at him venomously. Jack's eyes widened in shock. Liliana blushed again and looked down at her lap. "I mean . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fly off the handle like that."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have said that, though," Jack said. "But I was only joking, you know."

"It's just that . . . I'm not jealous of Amber and Pride's relationship. I just get tired of being ignored sometimes by him for a girl that pays very little attention to him or his feelings," she explained. "And then when he has the nerve to get irritated when I do make plans, and he wants to spend time with me . . . It's frustrating. He can act like such a little kid sometimes."

"Sounds a bit like what I did to my best friend Dal when Ellie and I got together," he observed, staring off at the shimmering water of the lake.

"Dal?" Liliana raised an eyebrow questioningly. Jack's brow furrowed and an angry expression washed over his face. He picked up a rock nearby and threw it at the lake. It skipped a few times before sinking.

"He was my best friend. Amber's too. He died shortly after the Chosen took over the city," he answered. "I was such a jerk to him. I ignored him at times and even accused him of liking Ellie and trying to steal her away from me. And I never really apologized for it. I wish I had. Too late now." Liliana smiled at him sympathetically.

"Hey," Liliana said, reaching out and touching his hand. Jack jumped at her touch, a zing running up and down the length of his arm. "I'm sure, wherever he is, Dal knows that you're sorry, and he's forgiven you. Don't fret about it." She noticed how startled Jack looked by her hand on top of his. She took her hand away. "Um . . . sorry."

"No, it's okay," he said in a high-pitched voice. "You don't have to move your hand." He grabbed her hand again and held it. Liliana gave him an odd look, then looked over at Samuel.

"We're going to have to head back soon. He's so fast asleep, I almost hate to move him. He hasn't been sleeping much lately," she said.

"He can take a nap when we get back, can't he?" Jack inquired.

"Yeah, I guess. But I was planning on taking him to see Pride. To make up for not being able to spend time with him today," she said.

"Alright. We'll let him sleep for a bit more, then, okay?" Jack said, squeezing her hand. He scooted a little closer to her. "Listen, I was thinking . . ."

"Yeah?" she said. He could smell her scent as she leaned toward him. It was a citrus smell, like oranges and spice, and reminded him a bit of the way the kitchen back home smelled, when his mother was cooking. It was overwhelming, the sudden surge of feelings he felt for the girl, even though he hardly knew her. He could feel the blood rising to his cheeks, and he struggled to regain his composure.

"Well, I was thinking . . . you and I are sort of in the same boat . . . so maybe we could lean on each other for support. You know?" Jack proposed. Liliana cocked her head to the side while she thought about it for a moment, her hair brushing Jack's cheek.

"Alright. Sounds like a good idea to me. I need someone who understands what I'm going through, and so do you," she said cheerily. Jack was trying to fight off the urge to kiss her, but it was useless.

"Liliana?" he said. She turned her head to look at him, and their noses touched.

"Yeah?" she responded softly, not budging. Jack cupped his hands around her chin and moved to kiss her.

"Wah!" Samuel suddenly woke up screaming. Jack and Liliana quickly pulled apart. Liliana scooted over to Samuel and picked him up, quieting his cries. Jack sighed inwardly in frustration. Maybe some other time, if ever.

"I guess we might as well head back now," Jack said, a defeated expression on his face.

"Yeah, I think that would be a good idea," Liliana replied. "Can you pack the blanket and everything up while I get him quieted down?"

"No problem," Jack said, standing up. Liliana stood up and walked around with Samuel in her arms while Jack re-packed everything. He helped her get Samuel into the baby harness, then grabbed the wheelbarrow, and they left.

* * *

_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! And thanks for reading!**_


	7. Section 7

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 7**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated! Oh, and I highly recommend listening to Elvis Costello's "I Want You" while reading this section - it was the song I had in mind as the music playing during the following party scene!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 7

* * *

**_

Pride stood across the room watching Liliana dance with a dark-brown haired boy. He watched Liliana closely as she swayed to the music, her head resting on the boy's shoulder, but her eyes never leaving Pride's gaze for a moment. Her bluish-gray eyes seemed bluer than usual, almost an icy blue. She wore a loose white sundress, and her curly hair blew about in the breeze that was coming in through the windows.

Pride had never seen her look more beautiful. Why hadn't he seen it before? Why hadn't he seen how wonderful she was and how no other girl could possibly compare to the standard she set? It was as though someone had flipped a switch on inside of him, and all he could see was her. Everything else around him was a blur, except for her perfect face. And now she was dancing with that jerk Ass-Ton. No, Ashton, he corrected himself, laughing at the nickname he had come up with for the boy. The sight of them together made an odd fury swell up inside him, something like jealousy.

He sighed loudly and turned his back to her, unable to bear watching her anymore. He tossed his empty punch cup into the trash, running a hand through his short black hair. He was surrounded by people, not able to make out faces, but he could hear their voices. It was a feeling somewhat close to being claustrophobic. It didn't help that his vision was bothering him and things were starting to spin a bit. He pulled at the collar of his shirt. It certainly was warm in there. Or maybe it was just his temper flaring about Liliana and Ashton dancing.

Spinning around to look at her again, he made himself dizzy, almost tipping over. He steadied himself on the table behind him, taking a deep breath. As the music changed from a slow ballad to an odd 80s song, he scowled jealously at Ashton.

His nostrils flared as he watched Ashton slyly move his hands down toward Liliana's rear, his lips nuzzling her neck, as Liliana squirmed. Not even thinking twice about it, he pushed himself off the table and started over toward them, picking up more speed with each step. He crouched a bit and started to run, aiming for Ashton. Pride rammed hard into him, knocking him off his feet. Pride grabbed a startled Liliana quickly, holding her close. Everyone in the room stopped dancing, staring at the scene.

"You filthy sleazebag! You need to learn a little more respect for a girl than that, Ashton!" exclaimed Pride, his words slurring a bit. "You shouldn't try to force yourself like that on any girl!" Pride could see the scene unfolding before him, but he couldn't seem to control his actions. Liliana looked embarrassed, and Pride was wondering what had caused him to react so violently to a little dance. His thoughts were so foggy.

"You're just drunk, Pride! Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't give a shit if I made a move on her!" Ashton retorted, grinning. Pride stared him down, trying to bite his tongue as Ashton looked smug. Something inside him wouldn't allow him to keep his mouth shut though.

"Oh, really? Wouldn't I?" Pride responded, kicking him in the stomach angrily. Ashton yelped, grabbing his abdomen. "Stay away from her, got it?" Pride took Liliana's hand forcefully and led her out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Are you okay, Lili?" Pride asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. As he stared deep into her eyes, like he was looking into her soul, a goofy grin spread across his face. She backed away from him, a slightly angry look on her face.

"I'm fine! Why the hell did you do that? I could have handled that myself!" she exclaimed. She looked at him strangely. "Why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he said.

"We need to get you home, you're obviously drunk," she said.

"I am not!" he countered defensively. "I had the same punch that everyone else did, and no one else was drunk in there."

"Yes, they were. Ashton was, Deirdre was, everyone nearly. I'm even feeling a little tipsy from it," she responded. It was very obvious he was plastered. His pupils were dilated, his face was flushed, and his breath reeked of alcohol. She touched his cheek gently, and he felt a warm surge throughout his body. "Peaches, you're sloshed."

"Well, I only had three cups, so I can't be drunk, can I?" he said, hiccupping. "I am perfectly fine." She rolled her eyes at this. He was still making weird eyes at her, and she shivered. Pride could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears like a galloping racehorse, his mind moving at the pace of a turtle.

"Well, you're giving me the creeps. I'm going back into the party," she said, pushing past him. He stood there in a stupor as she walked away before he reached out and grabbed her by the arm.

"Lili, don't go," Pride said pleadingly. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Why are you acting like this?" she asked.

"Acting like what?" he questioned back.

"All weird . . . like you're more than just drunk. First, you attack Ashton, which is so not like you, and now you're looking at me funny, like you're demonically possessed. What's wrong with you?" she answered, growing irritated with his behavior.

"Nothing's wrong. I just realized something earlier," he insisted. The room was getting hotter by the minute, it seemed to him. He was getting dizzier, too.

"Oh? Enlighten me, Pride. What have you realized?" she said sarcastically. "That you have the mental capacity of a five year old when you're drunk?"

"No . . . ," he said slowly. He nodded his head once, then spoke again. "I love you, Lili." She looked at him incredulously, as he spoke those slurred words. "I love you . . ."

Then suddenly everything went black . . .

"I love you . . . I love you," Pride repeated over and over, tossing about in the armchair where he had fallen asleep. May stood over him, listening to his drowsy rambling. "I love you . . ."

"Pride, honey, wake up," she said, shaking him a little bit. His eyes flew open, and he stared at her silently for a few moments. His mind recalled the dream he had been having. A very . . . vivid dream about Liliana, for lack of a better word. It had just been a dream. He looked at May in puzzlement.

"Did I fall asleep?" he asked finally.

"Yeah. That must have been some dream you were having. I could hear you down the hallway you were talking so loudly," she replied.

"What was I saying?" he said, sitting back up in the chair and closing the book that lay open in his lap.

"Something like, 'I love you, I love you.' Were you dreaming about me?" she responded, grinning. She sat down on his lap, throwing her legs over the arm rest of the chair. Pride looked down at his hands, feeling guilty. May was his girlfriend, and he had been dreaming about Liliana. And what an odd dream at that. His imagination had gone a little overactive. He looked at May thoughtfully. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, and he wasn't about to let anyone know what he'd really been dreaming about. He plastered a false smile on his face.

"Yeah, it was about you. A really good dream, too," he lied. He kissed her gently on the forehead, and she cuddled up against him. As they sat there, he replayed the dream over and over again in his mind. Just a dream, that's all it was, he told himself. But he could never tell anyone about it. Never.

* * *

**_Yes – that dream WAS a flashback . . . Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! And thanks for reading!_**


	8. Section 8

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 8**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 8

* * *

**_

Liliana walked into Pride's room later that evening, holding Samuel's hand as he toddled alongside. Pride sat on his bed reading a book, so caught up in it that he didn't hear them enter the room. His brow was furrowed intently, and Liliana just stood there for a moment, observing him. His curly black hair was shorter than it had been when he left, falling just above his shoulders. But his eyes hadn't changed a bit. Still the same kelly green they had always been. And the same sweet smile.

There was something comforting in the fact that he hadn't changed much in the few months he'd been away. Like he was an anchor in her life, something that would always be there and would hold steady throughout time. But looking at him was also difficult at the same time, because every time she looked at him, she would see all the wonderful and remarkable things about him that she had once loved, and she would start to love him again. And she just couldn't allow herself to do that. She couldn't allow herself to be hurt by him again.

Pride sighed, closing his book and rubbing his eyes. Upon opening his eyes again, he saw Liliana and Samuel standing just inside the doorway. He put his book to the side, sitting up.

"Hi," he said, a surprised tone to his voice.

"Someone wanted to see you," she said shyly. She led Samuel over to him. Pride smiled, picking the little boy up.

"Hiya, buddy. Did you have a good time at the lake today?" Pride said, tickling Samuel's tummy. Samuel giggled.

"I wanted to apologize about not being able to spend time with you earlier," Liliana said.

"It's okay. It's not like I own you and Samuel. You're free to do whatever you want, when you want," he responded. "And I shouldn't have said that stuff about Jack. You need to make up your own mind when it comes to him."

"Well, some of what you said was true. I don't know him that well. And he is just coming off a pretty serious relationship. I don't want to be the rebound girl," she admitted. She watched as Pride bounced Samuel up and down on his knee, singing a little rhyme to him. Samuel laughed, grabbing at Pride's hair a little bit. Samuel's face lit up with the same cute smile as his father's, and Liliana's eyes filled with tears. Pride then held Samuel close to him and looked over at Liliana. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Lili? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Pride asked, concerned. He put an arm around her shoulders.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize how much I missed you until now. That's all," she answered quickly, sniffling.

"I missed you, too, Lili. So much," he said, giving her a squeeze. "It was strange not seeing you and Samuel every day. I kept expecting you to just walk through the door any minute. But you didn't." Liliana buried her head in Pride's shoulder. As Pride held her closely, memories of the dream he'd had earlier that day flashed through his mind, sending a surge of emotions racing through his heart. He kissed the top of Liliana's head, her curls soft against his skin.

Liliana cuddled up a little closer to him, feeling safe for the first time in weeks. She wanted to stay there wrapped up in his arms forever. A million thoughts raced through her mind, so many things she wanted to say to Pride right them. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, she wanted to tell him everything she'd been keeping inside for so long. In the midst of her intense rush of emotions, for a moment she almost forgot whose arms she was in.

But as her senses returned, she panicked, pushing away from Pride. She took a deep breath, swallowing back the tears that were threatening to rise up in her throat again. He gazed at her, startled by her actions, as she jerked back from him. She suddenly felt desperate to get out of the room, away from him.

"Uh . . . would you mind watching Samuel for a little while . . . I, uh . . . I have some chores to get done," she sputtered, trying to come up with an excuse to vacate the area.

"Sure. I'd love to. What do you think, Samuel?" Pride said, tickling the toddler's stomach again. Samuel giggled. Pride looked back up at Liliana. "I think that's a yes."

"Alright. I'll come back for him in a bit. Thanks," she said, already standing up and moving quickly toward the door. She exited the room as fast as she could without running, hurrying down the hallway to her own room.

Once in the safety of her room, she shut the door and started to cry. Leaning against the doorway, sobs wracked her body. She slid down to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chin as she wept.

"I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pretending I don't love him. I can't keep living this lie," she whispered to herself. She crawled over to her bed, curling up into a ball under the blanket and crying herself to sleep.

* * *

_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! I know you're reading – a couple of you have added this story to your favorites – thank you for that! But please, show me some love here by clicking that review button below! And thanks for reading!**_


	9. Section 9

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 9**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 9

* * *

**_

Jack stood outside Liliana's room a few hours later, nervously debating whether to knock on her door or not. He ran a hand through his hair and checked his breath as he stood in the dark hallway. Everyone else was asleep. Including Liliana, probably. He let out a frustrated sigh, banging his head gently against the opposite wall.

Why was he doing this? Sneaking about the cabin at night in only pajama pants just to see some girl he'd only just met? He'd never been nearly as forward as this with Ellie. But there were a lot of things he hadn't been with Ellie. Like a stronger, more dominant person. He'd let Ellie run all over him. But he was going to be bold now. Summoning up all his courage, he turned to face the door again as it opened. Light flooded the hallway.

"Liliana . . . hi!" Jack said as she stood in the doorway staring at him.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" she asked, looking surprised to see him. Her hair was a bit messy, and her eyes were red and splotchy as though she'd been crying. Maybe now wasn't the best time to tell her how he felt after all.

"Um . . . ," he quickly thought of a feasible lie, "I was just heading to the kitchen to get something to drink." Liliana nodded, looking at him like she didn't believe a word he'd just said.

"Can't sleep again?" she said, calling his bluff. She licked her slightly chapped lips, then bit her lower lip anxiously. Why in the world was he there right then? Standing there, as though he was psychic and knew she needed someone. That she needed him.

"Yeah . . . ," he responded. "Something like that." He looked down at his feet in embarrassment, then looked back up at her again. She was nodding, lost in thought for a moment.

"I'm just going to go get Samuel. Pride's watching him for a bit," she explained. "You can come with me if you want." Jack just stood there with his mouth agape as he looked at her. She once again wore only a t-shirt and a pair of boxers that had hearts on them. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail on the top of her head. And for some reason, he was thinking that she was the most beautiful girl on the planet, poised there in the doorway.

_Get a grip, Jack. It's not like you haven't seen a pretty girl in her pajamas before. No need to freak out_, he told himself.

"Jack?" He snapped out of his trance to see her looking at him questioningly. "Jack, do you want to come with me to get Samuel or not?" He tried to speak, but no sound came out, so he simply nodded his head. "Well, then come on." She started off down the hallway. Jack smacked his hand against his forehead as he followed her.

_I am such a loser_, he scolded himself.

* * *

_**Please review? Pretty please? I'm dying here . . . reviews are love. So gimme your thoughts, for the love of all that is holy! I know you're reading – a couple of you have added this story to your favorites – thank you for that! But please, show me some love here by clicking that review button below! And thanks for reading!**_


	10. Section 10

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 10**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

Big thanks to my first, and so far only, review – Jemiul, thank you for reviewing twice! You are awesome!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 10

* * *

**_

Pride was sitting in an armchair, watching Samuel and May as they slept on the big double bed in his room. Samuel was so peaceful, taking in deep breaths and letting them out. He reminded Pride so much of Liliana, even though he was adopted, just as Liliana had been. Big blue-gray eyes framed by dark lashes, a cute, little button nose, and a crop of dark brown hair. He had a way of crinkling his nose up when he smiled, just like Liliana did. It was probably something he'd picked up from being around her so much, just coincidence. Or maybe not. Either way, Pride loved him as if he were his own.

There was a knock on the door, and Pride stood up. The door opened quietly, and Liliana tiptoed in. Pride smiled at her.

"Is he asleep?" she asked with a small smile. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye for very long. She felt embarrassed about running off like she had earlier, but Pride seemed oblivious to it.

"Yeah. Out like a light. He had a long day, I guess," Pride responded. He pointed over to where Samuel was curled up on the bed. Liliana crept over to the bed and picked the boy up gently, careful to not wake him up. She turned back to Pride.

"Thanks for watching him, Pride," she said. "You're a peach." She kissed him on the cheek, then walked toward the doorway. It was then that Pride saw Jack standing there waiting for her. He frowned. Jack wore nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms and had a stupid grin on his face.

As much as it bugged Pride, he wasn't about to ask what was going on. He didn't feel like having his head bitten off by Liliana again for being over-protective, and part of him just didn't want to know. There was something about the thought of Jack and Liliana together that made his heart ache, and he didn't want to make it any worse than it already was. So, he just plastered a false smile on his face and waved at Jack.

"Anytime. Night, guys," he said softly.

"Night, Pride," Liliana said, as Jack shut the door. As soon as the door shut, the frown returned to Pride's face. He grabbed the book he had been reading and sat down in the armchair again, his imagination running wild about the possibilities of what he had just seen. _They're just friends. Liliana's not stupid, she wouldn't get into a relationship with a guy on the rebound_, he told himself. Groaning loudly, he opened the book to where he'd stopped last.

_Who am I kidding? They're probably madly in love and having wild sex or something, and I know it. And that shouldn't bother me a bit. I have May, Lili has Jack. This is how things are supposed to be . . . I think._ Pushing the thought out of his mind, he turned his attention to the book in his hands.

* * *

_**That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Then, go check out the link to my new website in my profile – there's a picture archive, an awesome BB, and more to come! Toodles until later . . . **_


	11. Section 11

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 11**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

Big thanks to my only review - Jemiul! You are awesome!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick. The lyrics used in this section are from "Lucky" by Bif Naked.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 11

* * *

**_

Liliana and Jack walked back toward her room, a slumbering Samuel in tow. She looked over at Jack, who was fidgeting with the drawstring on his pants uneasily as they walked. He seemed to be a very high-strung person normally, but he seemed more tense than usual.

"Something on your mind?" she whispered finally.

"Hmm?" Jack said, looking over at her. He had been lost in his own thoughts. His internal debate over telling her how he felt had started again, compounded by seeing Pride's reaction to him. Pride had not been happy to see him with Liliana, which made Jack even more afraid to tell her how he felt. He knew Pride was her best friend, and what he thought mattered to her. He could sway her opinion of Jack easily. Or he could just plain kick Jack's ass if he wanted to. "Did you say something?"

"I asked you if you had something on your mind. Anything in particular?" she responded. "You just seemed like something was bothering you." Jack opened the door to her room for her, and she walked inside, heading straight for the crib. She placed the toddler in it gently, covering him up with a blanket. Then she turned to face Jack again.

"Nothing's bothering me. I was just thinking about some stuff. Nothing important," he said squeakily.

"Then why are you so edgy?" she asked.

"I'm . . . I'm not . . . edgy," he stuttered, turning red.

"O-kay," she said, nodding. She smiled at him, pointing to the couch nearby. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to go fix some apple cider for us. It looks like it's going to be a long night, judging by the way you're acting." With that, she exited the room, leaving Jack alone.

Jack looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished, with a large bed and Samuel's crib against one wall with a rocking chair nearby, and a bureau near what appeared to be a closet, with a folded-up playpen leaning against it. There was a small bookshelf filled with books and a white blanket spread out in the center of the room, with Samuel's toys on it. He looked over at the old couch. It looked to be comfy, covered in a faded, flowery fabric, and there was a small table in front of it. He sat down, letting out a shaky breath. He started to hum to himself softly, trying to ease his frazzled nerves. Had he ever been this nervous with Ellie? He couldn't remember.

He heard whimpering coming from across the room, where the crib was. As it grew a little louder, Jack got up and walked over to it. He looked inside at Samuel. The child looked up at him with big, tear-filled eyes, his mouth in a pout like he was about to start screaming. _Not again. Please, God, if you do actually exist, you'll make him fall asleep again. Please. I won't ask anything of you ever again if you do,_ Jack prayed silently. Samuel started to whine a little louder, and Jack panicked. He looked around the room. He saw a little teddy bear lying nearby and picked it up.

"Here's your teddy, little guy. You want your teddy?" Jack said quietly, tucking the stuffed animal under the blanket with Samuel. Samuel just cried more. Jack groaned loudly. "What do you want? I don't know anything about babies! What's wrong?!" Samuel started to turn red, screaming loudly. "Alright, alright! Please, stop crying, Samuel!"

Jack picked him up out of the crib, holding him the way Trudy had taught him to hold Brady, putting his head on his shoulder. He jiggled him a little bit, walking around the room. Samuel continued to scream. Jack thought quickly, trying to remember what Salene and Trudy always did to get Brady to sleep. They used to sing to her. Singing . . . maybe that would work. He started to sing the first thing that came to mind.

"It was a Monday when my lover told me . . . never pay the reaper with love only," Jack's voice was deep and scratchy, but Samuel started to quiet down a little, "What could I say to you except I love you . . . and I'd give my life for yours . . ." Samuel layed his head against Jack's shoulder, his breaths slowing. Jack started to sing a little louder, forgetting he wasn't the only one awake in the cabin. "I know we are . . . we are the lucky ones . . . I know we are . . . we are the lucky ones . . . I know we are . . . we are the lucky ones, dear . . ." Jack looked down at the tot to find that he had dozed back off. He smiled. He'd have to thank Trudy later for inadvertently teaching him how to take care of a baby.

Screaming or not, Jack actually liked Samuel. He liked kids period, but he really liked spending time with Liliana and Samuel. Samuel was part of who Liliana was, and standing there holding him, Jack felt like that was okay. He wanted to be with Liliana and Samuel.

"You have a nice voice," he heard Liliana say. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway with two steaming cups of cider. She was smiling at him, her eyes sparkling. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh . . . he woke up, and I didn't know what else to do," Jack explained quickly. He put Samuel back into the crib and pulled the blanket up over him. Liliana put the mugs down on the table and stepped slowly over to where Jack stood.

"You did just fine. He likes being sung to. I do it all the time. It makes him feel safe," she said. She put her arms around his waist and placed her head against his bare back. Her skin felt soft and warm against his, making him shiver.

"Liliana . . . ," he began, turning to face her. She buried her head in his shoulder as he held her.

"Hmm?"

"Listen . . . I've been trying to tell you something since this morning . . . I think . . ." Jack was interrupted by piercing screams as Samuel woke up again. Jack groaned quietly as Liliana pulled away from him and picked up the boy. She sat down in the rocking chair with Samuel, soothing his cries. Jack walked back over to the couch and sat down, grabbing one of the mugs of cider and taking a sip. _Alright, either God has a really messed-up sense of humor or somebody's trying to tell me something here,_ Jack thought in disgruntlement. He leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes, and tried to tune out the wailing going on in the foreground. Liliana had been right. It was going to be one long night.

* * *

_**That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . . **_


	12. Section 12

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 12**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

_**Section 12

* * *

**_

"Jack?" Liliana said a few hours later. She was stretched out on her bed with a sleeping Samuel curled up once again in his crib, while Jack sat upside down on the couch, his head hanging off the edge. He looked up at her.

"Yeah?" he responded. She had to stifle a laugh. From where she sat, he looked cross-eyed, and his face was a bright shade of red. Looking at him, she felt like she could trust him with her secrets. And before they went any further, he needed to know everything. Or just about everything. There were certain things she would never be able to tell him or anyone else.

"Well . . . have you ever just wanted to throw your hands up in the air and say 'Screw it all, I give up?' What I mean is . . . uh . . . do you ever have days when you just want to walk away from it all, just take a break?" she asked. "Your life, that is." Jack sat upright and looked at her strangely.

"Why? Do you?" he questioned back.

"Yeah . . . a lot, actually," she replied, sounding ashamed. Jack got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down beside her. She hung her head, her cheeks burning red.

"Why do you sound so guilty when you say that? It's nothing to be ashamed of," he inquired. "I mean, I want to escape from all of this world atleast twenty times every day. It's a normal feeling. You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel that way." She was looking at him like a wounded puppy. He gave her a puzzled look, confused by her words.

"But for me, it shouldn't be. I don't have just me to take care of. I have Samuel. I can't walk away from that responsibility, ever, atleast not until he's grown," she said quietly. "And every time I feel like running from it all, I feel so guilty. Because Samuel depends on me so much, and all I can think about is getting as far away as I can from him and everyone else I know. It's not fair to him."

"Where is this coming from, Liliana?" Jack said, taking her hand in his. At every turn with her, he always found something new and fascinating out about her, but this just didn't make any sense to him. She wasn't making any sense.

"What do you mean?"

"A few minutes ago, we were laughing about that story you were telling me, about Samuel spitting up all over Pride, and now you're suddenly all serious and sad, not to mention depressingly introspective. I'm just wondering what sparked it," he remarked, giving her a smile. He touched her cheek tenderly, brushing away a strand of hair. She stared at him for a while before speaking. She could see in his eyes that he really cared for her, but something just kept telling her to hold back, be cautious. She couldn't take having her heart broken again.

There were times with Jack when it was really easy for her to have a deep, thoughtful conversation with him, to open up to him. And then there were times like this one, where it was like pulling out a splinter from a finger. Very, very painful. He had no idea all that she had been through in the past year and a half, so how could he understand what she meant and why she was saying it? There were things about it that she didn't understand even though she was in the middle of it all. It had been happening to her, but she was numb to bits and pieces of it.

She'd been holding it all inside for so long, she was aching to find someone that she could trust, that she could spill to. She had made a connection with someone for the first time in a long time, with Jack. She knew she could trust him with her life. And there was a part of her that still didn't feel entirely comfortable about telling him all of it yet. She wasn't sure she could trust him completely. It was a battle she'd been having internally for hours. She could trust him . . . no, she couldn't. She couldn't risk that Jack might go and tell Pride everything she said. Especially when so much of it involved him in one way or another. She swallowed hard, pushing her thoughts back inside her head, and pried her fingers from his.

"Nevermind," she said coldly. "I don't really know where that came from." She scooted back on the bed, not looking at him anymore.

"Okay," Jack said slowly. Now he was really befuddled. A moment ago, she had been acting as though she was about to open her soul up to him completely, and now she was acting as if she were scared to death of him, repulsed by him. He could tell from the look on her face that the damage had been done, and there was little he could do to rectify it right then, whatever it was. He stood up, walking toward the door. "I'm going to head off to bed. It's late, and you need your sleep. We both need sleep."

"Alright," she said softly. She hadn't meant to sound mean or angry, but she had. And there was nothing she could do about it now.

"Night, Liliana," he responded sullenly.

"G'night, Jack," she said, her voice wavering. He left, shutting the door behind him. She blew her bedside lantern out, curling up underneath the covers. Quietly, she started to cry, crying herself to sleep again. Meanwhile, Jack was sitting in the room he shared with KC and Andy, trying to figure out what in the world he'd said to upset her. He finally gave up and nodded off to sleep.

* * *

_**That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . . **_


	13. Section 13

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 13**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

* * *

The next morning, four unhappy lovers sat around one of the tables in the kitchen. Each ate their cereal, looking somewhat forlorn and sighing at intervals. The two girls saw side by side, with the boys across from them. No eye contact was made.

Liliana was immersed in her own thoughts, staring out the nearby window at two birds sitting on the porch railing outside. May was paying close attention to her cereal, which she kept putting more sugar on every five minutes or so. Jack was pretending to be intensely involved in reading a book on solar power, and had already accidentally spilled cereal on this lap twice because he was so out of it.

Pride stared straight ahead, Liliana sitting across from him. Liliana could feel his eyes on her, as much as he seemed to be looking right through her. She knew exactly what was bothering him, but chose not to say anything. Now just wasn't the right time.

After the fiasco the night before, Jack and Liliana weren't speaking, much less looking at each other. Both were equally embarrassed at what had been said. And what hadn't. Jack was still at a loss as to what he'd said wrong, so it was hard for him to apologize. Liliana stifled the urge to laugh as she heard him grunt when he spilled cereal on himself again. But she didn't turn her eyes away from the two doves on the railing.

Liliana wasn't really sure why May and Pride weren't speaking. She had noted an odd sort of tension between them when they had entered the room, and that Pride looked like he hadn't slept a wink. Something was definitely wrong, but she hadn't asked what. Maybe later.

She turned her thoughts back to the two doves outside. She remembered hearing somewhere, maybe in her high school biology class, that doves mated for life. And in watching those two doves, sitting close together watching the sun come up, she wondered if the same was true for humans. She hoped that it wasn't. She wasn't sure if she wanted to spend the rest of her life chasing after someone who didn't love her back. Or, more correctly, couldn't remember that he ever had. She sighed, momentarily thankful that Samuel had slept late, and that he was still sleeping. It gave her time to think, to be at one with her thoughts.

"Morning, everyone!" she heard Amber say, and looked up to see Bray carrying Amber into the room. Everyone chorused their greetings, as Pride stood up.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"You can only look at the same four walls for so long before it gets really old," she said with a laugh. "I needed a change of scenery, so I convinced Bray to let me come sit in here for a little while. Besides, I'm hungry." Pride laughed, offering his chair to Amber. Bray set her down in it, and then he and Pride each grabbed chairs for themselves.

"What do you want to eat, madam?" Bray asked, putting his hands on her shoulders. She giggled.

"Cereal will be fine, monsieur," she said in a mock formal tone.

"Alright," he responded, kissing the top of her head then walking off. Amber looked around the table at everyone.

"So . . . how are all of you?" she asked cheerily.

"Fine," Jack said with a smile, looking up from his book for the first time that morning. "Aside from the fact that my pants are soaked with milk." Everyone laughed, but it didn't succeed in breaking the heavy tension that hung in the air. Liliana spoke up.

"I'm doing alright. Samuel's fine. He's actually slept late for once, so I'm getting a bit of a break this morning," she said.

"Good. I haven't seen Samuel in ages. You'll have to bring him to visit me this afternoon or something," Amber said as Bray returned with two bowls of cereal. He set one down in front of Amber and then sat down beside her.

"Thanks." Bray nodded and began eating. Amber looked around the table again, a confused expression on her face. "What's with all the sad faces? Did someone die or something?"

"What are you talking about, Am? No one's sad. We're all just really . . . ," Pride fumbled for a word to fill in the blank. He looked anxiously to Liliana for help.

"Tired," Liliana offered. "We're all just tired. That's what Pride means." Pride nodded, giving a fake smile. "There's just been so much going on around here lately, with all the new people, and all the chores, and we're all just exhausted." She smiled at Amber, though she was sure Amber would see right through the lie.

"Oh. Okay," Amber said. She started to eat. May leaned over to Liliana.

"Tired is not what I would call this, hon," May whispered. She put a smile on her face. "If you guys will excuse me, I still have some unpacking to do. And some sleep to catch up on." She gave Pride an annoyed look before standing up. "See you all later." She took her empty bowl and stormed off. Pride sighed, pushing back from the table and standing up.

"I'm off. I've got chores to do around here," Pride said. Amber waved and the others just nodded as he left the table. Liliana looked to the window again. The doves were gone. Maybe it was a sign that she should leave, too. Then she heard Samuel start to scream from down the hall.

"I guess that's my cue to leave," she said with a smile. "I'll bring Samuel by later on, okay, Amber? 'Cause I have some stuff I want to talk to you about anyway."

"Okay. See you," Amber said cheerily. Liliana got up and left, walking down the hallway to her own room. Walking past Pride and May's room, she could hear shouting coming through the closed door, but ignored it. Samuel was a little more important than finding out what May and Pride were arguing about.

* * *

_**That's all for now, folks! I apologize for taking so long to update this story again – I was just being lazy! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . . **_


	14. Section 14

**Title: Learning To Hunt**

**Chapter: Section 14**

**Fandom: **The Tribe

**Author: **PinkTribeChick

**Summary:** _Sometimes, love is just right under your nose . . ._

**Extended Summary: **An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Pride, Jack, and an original female character.

**Rating: **Teen

**Pairing: **Jack-Original Female Fiction Character, Pride-Original Female Fiction Character, Jack-Ellie, and Bray-Amber, with a few mentions of other pairings.

**Author's Notes: **Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years! Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.

* * *

**Learning To Hunt**

* * *

"What was that about?" Pride asked, following May back into their room. He quietly shut the door and looked at her in bewilderment.

"What?" May responded innocently, starting to make their bed in an attempt to busy herself. The jealousy she was feeling had started to flood her heart, spilling over the sides. She was trying her hardest not to say anything, for fear of pushing him even farther away from her than he already was on his own.

"What? May, you were totally flippant and rude to Amber. And to the rest of us. And I don't know what you whispered to Liliana, but I'm sure it wasn't anything nice," Pride said, calling her bluff. "What's gotten into you?" She ignored him and kept making the bed. "May?"

"Why wouldn't you come to bed last night? Why did you insist on staying up and reading like that, keeping me up worrying?" she said quietly, her back to him as she fluffed a pillow.

"I told you I wasn't tired. You could have gone on to sleep. I wasn't going to leave the room or anything," he answered. May let out a bitter laugh that she'd been holding in.

"You couldn't sleep? Jesus, Pride . . . do you just think I'm completely stupid or something?" May blurted out. She turned to look at Pride with fire in her eyes. "First, it was Amber. You were totally in love with Amber, and you thought you'd never love anyone else. And now, just when I thought you were actually getting past her, and we might have a chance at being happy together, I come to find that you never really loved me, and you never really loved Amber. It was always her." Pride looked at May questioningly, not really sure what she was getting at.

"What are you talking about?" he inquired. May looked at the clueless expression he wore as he stared at her, and suddenly all the anger she'd been suppressing for days bubbled to the surface.

"You love Liliana, Pride! You can't fool me! I saw the way you were looking at her in the kitchen a few minutes ago! I saw how you looked at her when we first arrived here. You're head over heels for her! And she's in love with you, though I must say, she does a wonderful job of hiding it!" May exploded, tears filling her eyes. Pride's mouth fell open, his eyes widening.

"What in the world would make you think that?" he said in amazement.

"Cause I have eyes to see, Pride! It's so obvious! I seriously doubt I'm the only one that's noticed it either, the way you two look at each other and talk to each other, and how you always talk about her and that little brother of hers!" she shouted.

"And just so you know, I don't believe for a minute he's actually her brother! And she's just got you so fooled! With her innocent, fragile, oh-poor-little-old-me act! 'Look at me, don't I look so pathetic! I've had to take care of my little brother almost since the day he was born because the virus killed my parents! Aren't I such a saint?' It makes me sick! I don't trust her, and I don't understand why you do! I don't understand why she's so much more important to you than I am, when you say that you love me so much! You don't really love me! Not like that! You're a liar, Pride!"

"May . . . you couldn't be farther from the truth," Pride said calmly, moving towards her to comfort her.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed. She swatted hard at his outstretched hands. Tears were pouring down her cheeks, and her face was bright red. He stopped in his tracks, a wave of frustration coming over him. "Don't ever touch me again unless you really love me!"

"May . . . I don't love her! Not like that! I've known her since I was five! She's like a sister to me! I'm the only real family other than Samuel that she has left. I look out for them. I have to. And no, I don't love Amber anymore! I love you! You know that!" he exclaimed in desperation.

"I don't know where this is coming from, but I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression about my relationship with Liliana! I'm sorry, May . . ." He trailed off as she walked to him and buried her head in his chest, sobbing. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"I'm just tired of feeling like second best with you, that's all," she said hoarsely. "I want to be first for a change . . ."

"You are first. I've just been a little distracted lately, having to run the tribe for Amber and all. I'm sorry if I've seemed distant or like I don't love you anymore. I do love you, May. Very much," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I love you too," she mumbled weakly. "Just please . . . don't shut me out or ignore me. I hate it when you do that." She looked up at him, her face tear-stained.

"I know, and I'm sorry," he responded. He kissed her gently, then they hugged again. Deep down, Pride knew she was right about one thing - he was in love with Liliana. He was just going to have to cover it up better from now on. Much better.

* * *

_**That's all for now, folks! I apologize for taking so long to update this story again – I was just being lazy! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . . **_


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